I just received a letter today from Comcast regarding Switched Digital Video and getting an adapter, which reads:

Quote:

October 3, 2008

Dear Valued Customer:

As a part of a system upgrade in your area this fall, we are introducing an exciting new way of delivering video programming to your home, called Switched Digital Video (SDV).

Currently our system sends all channels simultaneously, all the time, whether they are being viewed or not. SDV is a two-way video technology that lets us deliver individual channels over our fiber optic network at the moment you tune to them. This new technology will allow us to expand the services we offer our customers, including by providing more high-definition programming and faster internet speeds.

Because SDV is a two-way interactive technology, you will not be able to view SDV channels using one-way devices such as your TiVo equipment without some additional assistance. To ensure that you will be able use all the features of your TiVo equipment and enjoy all the channels you currently receive, Comcast, in partnership with TiVo, has developed a special tuning adapter to use with your TiVo equipment.

Starting on October 6, 2008, you can bring this letter to one of your local Comcast payment centers at:

[centers vary by area]

where we will give you a tuning adapter at no additional cost. Or, you can call us at 1-800-COMCAST and refer to "the TiVo letter," and we will schedule an appointment for a technician to visit your home to install it for free. Representatives are available by phone 24/7 to assist with any questions you may have.

Please refer to the FAQ section of this letter for more information on SDV. Remember, you can reach us 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-COMCAST or chat with us online at www.comcast.com.

Thank you for being a Comcast customer!

Has anyone else received a letter like this, whether from Comcast or not? It does give a list, that varies by area, of what channels would be affected too... It looks like I'm going down to a payment center on Monday to get an adapter and tell about my experiences installing it. Should be interesting!

I received the same letter from Comcast (South Jersey / Cherry Hill / Scientific Atlanta area) this morning.
Came here expecting to see some horror stories involving the 'Tuning Adapters', but was surprised to see none. I guess we are some of the first guinea pigs in this experiment? Uh oh.. Considering how hard it was for Comcast to even get my TiVo working in the first place I can't imagine this is going to go smoothly

I am just happy to see that Comcast (and hopefully other cable companies) are not hiding the SDV Tuner and actively promoting it.

They're probably sending that letter out to every CableCARD sub. Why would they "hide" the Tuning Adapter? Distributing it helps them retain TiVo-addicted subs, and to sell them services which they offer primarily as switched broadcasts.

__________________
Mike Scott

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I also live in South Jersey and got this letter today. I immediately called Comcast and I have a guy coming to my house this Monday (free) to check on the Multi-Stream cable card I have in my TiVo HD. In the meantime, I still seem to be getting signals on my HD from the 100 or so channels the letter said I might lose. I suppose I could have installed this tuning adapter myself, but if they're offering a free service call so promptly, I'll take it.

They're probably sending that letter out to every CableCARD sub. Why would they "hide" the Tuning Adapter? Distributing it helps them retain TiVo-addicted subs, and to sell them services which they offer primarily as switched broadcasts.

After all support cable companies gave to install Cablecards in S3s at the beginning, call me cynical.

The entire "Tuning Adapter Initiative", which has required over a year from conception to deliver (pretty high pace for this industry) is designed to help assuage complaints to the FCC by CableCARD-using subs and to fight off the NCTA's "Digital Cable Ready Plus" proposal. If they made it difficult to get, or charged anything more than a nominal fee, the effort would seem disingenuous.

__________________
Mike Scott

"To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts." -- hookbill

saying they're available starting the 6th doesn't mean they're going to immediately flip the switch on that day.

I'm sure that they have the system set up, though they might not be presenting any services as publicly available switched broadcasts yet. They will have been testing it for months before rolling it out to subs.

__________________
Mike Scott

"To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts." -- hookbill

Nothing yet on the West coast. The Comcast tech support call center had no idea what SDV is let alone what the tuning adapter is. They were nice about it and got back to me, but nada. Looks like you folks in the Northeast are the test market.

It works. The TiVo says it's operational and everything so all is good! Thumbs up to Comcast.

Are you certain that there are channels presented as switched digital that you can tune now that you weren't able to tune before? Unlike letters announcing SDV sent out by TWC and Cox, that one didn't seem to list the group of services that they planned to provide as switched broadcasts.

__________________
Mike Scott

"To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts." -- hookbill